Regular and extra virgin olive oil may look similar in color, but they aren’t actually the same ingredient. These two types of olive oil have several differences that change the recipes they should be used for.
What is Olive Oil?
Olive oil is a type of fat extracted by pressing olives. It is commonly used in cooking and as a salad dressing, valued for its flavor and health benefits.
Generally considered healthier than seed oils, olive oil is a monosaturated vegetable oil. The color of olive oil will vary depending on where the olive is in its ripening process when pressed.
The 6 Differences Between Regular and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1. When the Olives are Pressed
Extra virgin olive oil is made by pressing olives right at the beginning of their ripening process, without waiting for the olives to fully ripen. Olive oils without additional type labeling are considered regular or ‘pure’ and are always made from a mix of refined olive oil and extra virgin olive oil.
Refined olive oil is olive oil that has undergone processing to remove defects in the oil. Usually, you can’t purchase refined olive oil on its own, as most of it is mixed with extra virgin olive oil to make ‘regular’ olive oil.
2. How it is Made
As mentioned above, regular oil always contains some oil which had been refined. Extra virgin olive oil is never refined, only cold-pressed, making it the highest quality oil available.
3. Fat Content
Because the olives are pressed so early when making extra virgin olive oil, it contains very little fat, only about 1%. The fat content of regular olive oil can vary, depending on how much refined oil is used in the oil mixture.
4. Flavor
Extra virgin olive oil tastes more fruity than regular olive oil and is generally thought to be more flavorful. Some extra virgin olive oils can also be buttery or peppery in flavor.
Beyond just containing refined oils, regular olive oil has fewer restrictions, and many producers run the olives through the machines over and over to extract as much oil as possible, making these oils less flavorful.
5. Testing and Certification
Extra virgin olive oil is required to be tasted and certified before being released to market. There are olive oil sommeliers who rank all types of extra virgin olive oil. There are no certification requirements for regular olive oil.
6.. Cost
The olives used to make extra virgin olive oil must be harvested and pressed during a very narrow window of time, making this type of oil much more expensive than its regular counterpart. Additionally, the tasting and certification process is not cheap, which adds to the final price.
Can You Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Regular Olive Oil interchangeably?
In most cases, using one type of olive oil over the other can be used interchangeably and won’t change the consistency or process of making a recipe. The only real difference between these two oils is flavor quality, and this is only noticeable in recipes where the olive oil flavor is prominent.
Therefore, while you should always use extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings, dips, or finishing touches, it’s okay to save some money and just use regular olive oil for all other recipes.
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